Briefing

The right of community nurses to work without putting their own health at
risk through lifting patients has been dealt a serious blow by a recent court
judgment. Barrister Suzanne Fullbrook told an RCN ethics conference in London
of a judgment made against East Sussex County Council, in which the family of
two pro-foundly disabled sisters argued that their dignity at home was
infringed by the use of a hoist.

Nursing Standard, 13 April

Calming influence

Live performances of ballet and jazz are reducing the levels of aggression
among patients in an A&E unit. The weekly performances at Chelsea and
Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust are held in the hospital’s reception area and
the entertainers have also visited wards and A&E. The initiative is part of
an ongoing study into the effect of music on patients due to be published in
three months.

Nursing Standard, 13 April

Nurse prescribing

The Government has announced plans for a major extension to nurse
prescribing powers. The new proposals will allow suitably competent
practitioners to prescribe emergency medication such as thrombolytic drugs and
antibiotics. Nurses can already prescribe more than 180 medicines and, under
the new scheme, 60 more would be added to the list.